Wine festival at Upper Barracca

Emmanuel Delicata Winemaker are holding their second annual Classic Wine Festival to celebrate the beginning of the Maltese grape harvest from Friday to Sunday, between 7 and 11.30 p.m. at the Upper Barracca Gardens, Valletta.

The festival is one of the summer highlights and wine lovers will surely be delighted by the vast range of wines on offer. Upper Barracca Gardens provide the perfect setting for the tasting and comparing of the numerous grape varieties grown in Malta and Gozo. There will also be food specially chosen to complement the wine.

The event will be officially inaugurated by President Guido De Marco on Friday with a spectacular wine regatta involving six boats which will race from Delicata's winery on the waterfront in Marsa to a point directly below the gardens. There will also be a re-enactment of the ancient practice of grape crushing. Entertainment will be offered throughout the whole festival, including fireworks to mark the feast of St Lawrence.

New attractions for this year's festival include an audio-visual presentation of modern viticultural and wine-making techniques practised by Emmanuel Delicata, two exciting new wines - Dolcino Bianco and Dolcino Rose and al fresco dining with spectacular views of the Grand Harbour. On Saturday and Sunday Bill Hermitage will hold comparative tutored wine tasting at the Castille wine vaults at 8 p.m.

Various outlets in Valletta are supporting the festival. They will be taking food orders until midnight or later for those people wishing to continue dining. The Embassy Cinemaworld will also be showing pre and post festival screenings at a special price.

Entrance to the festival is free, although anybody wishing to taste the variety of wines will have to purchase an official Wine Festival glass. The glass may then be kept as a souvenir.

A free mini bus shuttle service will be available to and from the MCP car park, Floriana, between 7 p.m. and midnight.